I've kept a Mossberge 500 loaded with slugs for a long time. I'm starting to believe that 00 buck shot may be a better idea. I would like suggestions for inexpensive buckshot. The idea would be to have something I could keep a couple dozen rounds on hand, and maybe even put a couple down to tube for pratice without breaking the bank. So super duper tatical $1.20/round need not apply
Load her up
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Delivery McGee
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My local gun shop has Sellier & Bellot 12 gauge 2-3/4" 00 Buck (with 12 balls!) at $5 for a box of 10. I've shot a couple of boxes out of my 18" 870, and it hasn't had any problems. Patterns pretty well, considering the price.
Pattern from about 10 or 15 yards. Black dot is point of aim. The big holes are the buckshot in question (note the two wide holes where two balls were touching; all 12 are there); the little holes and shot cup are from a load of #7 (I only had the one piece of cardboard to pattern them on). Cardboard is 2 feet wide.
This is what the hulls look like after firing (it's by my wrist):
Pattern from about 10 or 15 yards. Black dot is point of aim. The big holes are the buckshot in question (note the two wide holes where two balls were touching; all 12 are there); the little holes and shot cup are from a load of #7 (I only had the one piece of cardboard to pattern them on). Cardboard is 2 feet wide.
This is what the hulls look like after firing (it's by my wrist):
Fred Fuller
Moderator Emeritus
S&B is great for genuine scattergun applications. As in "to whom it may concern." As in at night when there is nothing out there but hostiles and you can't see what you're shooting at anyway and don't care what you hit. As in... well, I hope you get the picture. Some folks WANT their shotgun to throw 20" patterns at ten or fifteen yards. That's OK by me, I just hope I am nowhere in the beaten zone when they let loose.
Personally I want all my pellets to land where I aim them, in the middle of a target I can see and identify. Therefore S&B would be the last load I would choose to use in normal ordinary HD applications. I do prefer buckshot over slugs for ordinary use on soft targets, a compact pattern of heavy buckshot does more damage than a slug and is more likely to be as much of an instant stopper as anything that can be fired from a handheld weapon. But I want _tight_ patterns to obtain the desired results.
I recently tested some low recoil Fiocchi 9-pellet 00 buck loads with nickle plated pellets. These loads patterned to within 10- 15" out of several different guns at 25 yards, acceptable performance in my book. At retail they sold for $6.95 for a box of ten and are among the softest recoiling buckshot loads I have ever fired.
There are other loads that will perform as well or better as the Fiocchi and that can be found at reasonable prices if you shop around. Experimenting is always in order to determine what loads a given shotgun barrel patterns well, it is pretty much unavoidable.
If you want tight patterns you will be looking for 1) pellets of a hard lead alloy, and/or 2) pellets plated with copper, nickle, etc. to help them avoid deformation in the bore and choke 3) shells loaded with buffer/grex to help protect pellets better 4) reduced recoil loads, as they generally pattern better 5) wad designs that are effective at cushioning/controlling/containing/protecting pellets as they travel through the bore of the gun that fires them. Those are generally the factors that help produce reliable tight patterns. They are all features not present in S&B's loads... so if you want open patterns, that's an almost guaranteed way to get them.
lpl/nc
Personally I want all my pellets to land where I aim them, in the middle of a target I can see and identify. Therefore S&B would be the last load I would choose to use in normal ordinary HD applications. I do prefer buckshot over slugs for ordinary use on soft targets, a compact pattern of heavy buckshot does more damage than a slug and is more likely to be as much of an instant stopper as anything that can be fired from a handheld weapon. But I want _tight_ patterns to obtain the desired results.
I recently tested some low recoil Fiocchi 9-pellet 00 buck loads with nickle plated pellets. These loads patterned to within 10- 15" out of several different guns at 25 yards, acceptable performance in my book. At retail they sold for $6.95 for a box of ten and are among the softest recoiling buckshot loads I have ever fired.
There are other loads that will perform as well or better as the Fiocchi and that can be found at reasonable prices if you shop around. Experimenting is always in order to determine what loads a given shotgun barrel patterns well, it is pretty much unavoidable.
If you want tight patterns you will be looking for 1) pellets of a hard lead alloy, and/or 2) pellets plated with copper, nickle, etc. to help them avoid deformation in the bore and choke 3) shells loaded with buffer/grex to help protect pellets better 4) reduced recoil loads, as they generally pattern better 5) wad designs that are effective at cushioning/controlling/containing/protecting pellets as they travel through the bore of the gun that fires them. Those are generally the factors that help produce reliable tight patterns. They are all features not present in S&B's loads... so if you want open patterns, that's an almost guaranteed way to get them.
lpl/nc
Manedwolf
member
That'd be why my HD 870 has some S&B on the bandolier strap, besides the Hornady TAP $$$ (tight pattern) stuff that's in it.
Fumbler
Member
I've had good experiences with Remington's Managed Recoil 00 buck out of my cylinder bore Mossberg 500.
It's only $2.27 at Walmart.
It's only $2.27 at Walmart.
Guy B. Meredith
Member
Walmart has 15 count boxes of Winchester 00 for about $6 in the SF Bay area. Should be at a good price elsewhere.
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